Price Reports October 2025

The following information is provided by Plastics Information Europe.  For more than 35 years, PIE has been an invaluable source of information for European plastics industry decision makers - a quick, yet in-depth look at the development of plastics markets and polymer prices. Available online 24/7 and as a printed newsletter twice a month. To read entire versions of the following reports, go to www.pieweb.com and sign up for a 48-hour free trial!

  Standard thermoplastics October 2025: Market slump continues / Prices moving sideways at best

PE: In October, many producers aimed to rid themselves of surplus material, granting price reductions in the process. As a result, the competition with cheap imports intensified. Though the ethylene contract rolled over, prices ultimately continued their downward movement. Ordering remained slow despite favourable pricing. Pre-purchases of material were still few and far between because many buyers are ordering only what they absolutely need in expectation of a further fall in quotations. In fact, the downward price spiral is likely to pick up speed a little in November. The reason is not only that the ethylene contract for November was fixed EUR 25/t lower, but also that the efforts made by producers to reduce stocks will probably increase in view of the upcoming annual balance sheet. With large quantities of imports reaching European shores, the market remained in surplus. There can nevertheless be no talk of a recovery in demand from converters – ordering activity remains slow in a miserable economic situation. Only a few players are toying with the idea of stocking up in view of the uncertainty over the developments in Q1 2026.

PP: The rollover for the precursor propylene was not enough to keep prices for polypropylene stable in October 2025. Since demand picked up somewhat – but remained weak overall – and because producers wanted to avoid excessively high inventory levels before the turn of the year, suppliers generally conceded slight price reductions. The picture was slightly different for compounders. For the most part, they were able to keep prices for talcum and glass fibre-reinforced compounds at the previous month’s level. They benefitted from the unexpected increase in demand, particularly from the E&E segment. However, all market players are preparing for further price reductions in November. This is because the contract price for propylene fell by EUR 25/t, and the price of polypropylene should also follow the C3 decline in the absence of other stimuli.

PVC: The European PVC market remained largely stable in October 2025, even though the supply side continued to exert pressure. Price developments differed, with contract prices mostly moving sideways while some spot prices experienced a considerable fall. On the demand side, the construction and infrastructure customer sectors failed to generate any momentum. At the same time, import volumes from Asia increased the pressure on European producers’ margins.

Styrenics: The downward trend is unbroken – in October 2025, styrenics prices declined for the seventh month in a row. The further eroding styrene reference and persistently weak demand left no other way open. Even though volume calls improved slightly in October, demand for polystyrene, EPS, and ABS remained well below normal levels. This is unlikely to change in the final months of the year. As the styrene reference continued its downward course in November, falling EUR 17/t, styrene prices are likely to maintain the daunting trend now ongoing for eighth months in a row.

PET: The European PET market was just as gloomy as the weather in October. Customers were under no pressure to fill their warehouses given the persistently low level of demand from end markets. The struggling European producers had to secure their disappointingly low sales through what at times were disastrous, cut-throat prices. “Crisis” was the word of the moment. With the reductions offered, prices mostly slid down into the three-digit range, as expected. The European paraxylene reference contract for October was fixed at EUR 735/t, down EUR 30/t. Once again, the European market had no choice but to follow the weaker Asian benchmark. The gloomy market conditions in this part of the world are unlikely to change. Nevertheless, only minor discounts for PET are to be expected, as prices have largely bottomed out.

For more than 35 years, PIE has been an invaluable source of information for European plastics industry decision makers - a quick, yet in-depth look at the development of plastics markets and polymer prices. Available online 24/7 and as a printed newsletter twice a month. To read the entire report, go to www.ki.de and sign up for a 48-hour free trial!

  Engineering thermoplastics October 2025: Market slump continues / Abundant material despite production cuts / Demand weakens further across segments / No improvement before end of year?

The situation developed much as expected last month. Producers were unable to escape the pressure of weak demand and had to concede to calls for price cuts. The simpler the grade, the larger the reductions. Despite all the cutbacks, producers’ inventories grew further and now stand well above normal levels. It wasn’t only the automotive sector that remained persistently weak – the E&E segment, as well as other industrial sectors, also took less material than anticipated. The hoped-for boost from the K 2025 trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, failed to materialise.

The second batch of quarterly reductions is due in November. Some converters are even speculating on triple-digit price cuts. In all probability, the volume of sales will remain low. For this reason, a reduction in stock is highly unlikely. And if that were not enough, imports from Asia are also adding to the already abundant supply. There is no sign of any impetus from anywhere. The first converters are already working on concrete saving plans – including job cuts.

One exception was natural POM. Although the entire market was caught in a downward trend, producers were able to carry over the contract prices from the previous month. Converters who purchased larger quantities were rewarded for holding steady on contracts through special deals. The production cutbacks were so well balanced that inventories rose only minimally, if at all. Producers will likely again aim to hold prices steady in the coming month – a goal that could succeed if import volumes remain lower.

For more than 35 years, PIE has been an invaluable source of information for European plastics industry decision makers - a quick, yet in-depth look at the development of plastics markets and polymer prices. Available online 24/7 and as a printed newsletter twice a month. To read the entire report, go to www.ki.de and sign up for a 48-hour free trial!

 Polyurethane feedstocks October 2025: TDI in reverse gear again / Demand remains low / Producers still attempt to push through demands for polyols

All polyurethane components – both isocyanates and polyols – have become cheaper over the past few weeks. This was particularly true for TDI, the price of which had previously skyrocketed due to the force majeure at Covestro. The significant discounts for TDI are likely to continue in light of the ongoing weak demand.

In the case of polyols, individual producers are trying to push prices upwards – so far without success. However, it remains to be seen whether the trend towards oversupply will continue to have a dampening effect.

The market has sufficient material available overall. Anomalies were only mentioned in connection with delays in logistics services. Imports are noticeably enriching the supply.

Only the optimists on the PIE panel believe that demand will be slightly firmer in the coming weeks. Car manufacturing is showing the first signs of recovery internationally, but otherwise remains below the usual level for the time of year in Europe. Applications for construction and comfort are also falling short of expectations.

For more than 35 years, PIE has been an invaluable source of information for European plastics industry decision makers - a quick, yet in-depth look at the development of plastics markets and polymer prices. Available online 24/7 and as a printed newsletter twice a month. To read the entire report, go to www.ki.de and sign up for a 48-hour free trial!

  Composites/GRP October 2025: Resins trending downwards again / Indications of bottoming out / Only standard chopped strand mats under pressure

While the situation looked largely stable at the start of October – for both resins and glass fibre products – slightly softer trends became more pronounced halfway through the month. In the case of resins, this could be due to both weak demand and the noticeably lower quarterly contract for maleic anhydride. At the start of November, however, the main precursor of styrene did not give way as sharply as it had done previously. Signs are emerging that the price is bottoming out and the resins are likely to follow.

Producers of both resins and glass fibres are likely to try and push material onto the market, while converters will not likely want to stock up on surplus material just before the end of the year. All in all, there is not likely to be much movement between now and the end of the year.

The glass fibre products reported on are suffering greatly on account of the slump in vehicle manufacturing. Insolvencies and mass layoffs are dominating the automotive sector and keeping the overall market down. While there were still small reductions in October, these did not spread across the board. Glass fibre can scarcely go any lower, and no notable impetus in either direction can be expected before the end of the year. At the same time, the year-end negotiations that are now beginning do not yet reveal any trend for the start of 2026.

For more than 35 years, PIE has been an invaluable source of information for European plastics industry decision makers - a quick, yet in-depth look at the development of plastics markets and polymer prices. Available online 24/7 and as a printed newsletter twice a month. To read the entire report, go to www.ki.de and sign up for a 48-hour free trial!

 Standard recyclate October 2025: Prices continue to decline in most cases / Further pressure likely in November

Prices for recycled materials mostly declined again in October. Only a few grades such as rHDPE for blow moulding and rPP homopolymer countered the general trend of minor reductions and remained stable. rHDPE for pipe applications even saw a slight uptick, thanks to a modest increase in demand from the construction sector. The situation for rPET was also pleasing. Although prices at the beginning of Q4 2025 trended downwards again, recyclers and flake manufacturers were able to improve their margins somewhat, as the cost of bottle scrap fell more sharply.

Overall market conditions remained sluggish. Demand for most secondary materials continued to be weak, as the economic climate stayed subdued and competition from low-priced virgin material continued to exert significant pressure. In addition, many recyclate suppliers were sitting on high stock levels that they were unable to reduce due to the low volume of orders.

This market situation is unlikely to change significantly in the coming month, so further price reductions can be expected – possibly with the exception of rHDPE pipe grades, which could benefit slightly from the tail end of the construction season.

For more than 35 years, PIE has been an invaluable source of information for European plastics industry decision makers - a quick, yet in-depth look at the development of plastics markets and polymer prices. Available online 24/7 and as a printed newsletter twice a month. To read the entire report, go to www.ki.de and sign up for a 48-hour free trial!

 Engineering recyclate October 2025: Weak economy, sluggish demand force producers to make further concessions / Wait-and-see strategy adopted to avoid mistakes

The start of Q4 underlined the weakness of the economy and saw a further crumbling of contract prices because of the poor demand. Outside the contracts, prices lost even more ground. Despite all attempts to prevent a further build-up of stocks, recyclers often had to bite the bullet because of the slow ordering activity. The supply situation for some compounds was considerably more balanced than of late, and for simpler blends, availability was almost overflowing.

All market players adopted a wait-and-see strategy and relied on a certain “swarm intelligence” according to the motto, ‘if nobody moves, then nobody can make a mistake’. For the market, however, this also meant a dangerous standstill. Only the construction industry purchased the quantities of material appropriate for the time of year. All other industries were lagging significantly behind their own plans.

A much sooner cutback in production than usual at the end of the year seems to be on the cards. This could happen with the recycling companies as early as mid-November. For this reason, prices are expected to fall further, but no longer with the same vehemence as in the previous months. Many producers are already preparing themselves intensively for the end of the year, keeping an eye on their stock levels. Contract prices are expected to be far more stable. When it comes to simple compounds, many are speculating on the possibility of finding cheap goods on the spot market. Demand remains significantly below expectations, and converters’ order books still have plenty of room for new orders. 

For more than 35 years, PIE has been an invaluable source of information for European plastics industry decision makers - a quick, yet in-depth look at the development of plastics markets and polymer prices. Available online 24/7 and as a printed newsletter twice a month. To read the entire report, go to www.ki.de and sign up for a 48-hour free trial!